Deals with the Devil himself
by Venka le fay
Summary: One shot* Set during the Good Genes' arc of the 2003 series. Leo's observations during the scene where everyone is coping with Donatello's transformation.


Don't own TMNT, wish I did…but I don't.

I watched my younger brother…or rather the creature my younger brother had become. He continued to pace around the containment unit looking for a way out. His large form eyeing us with the savageness of a wild animal. The complete opposite of the Donatello I had known, the Donatello who was my brother and one of my closest friends.

The Donatello I remembered was kind hearted and gentle, the sort of person who would rather mutter to himself quietly in his lab vs. getting involved in a fight. He was the one to come up with inventive ways to help protect our family or make our lives easier, but would still risk his life to defend any of us from harm.

Everyone was trying to deal with the situation in their own way. Raphael was a time bomb waiting to happen. That was the only way to describe my immediate younger brother at this time. Right now he was venting his anger into one of his punching bags. What he wished he could do, was to hunt down the people responsible for putting Donnie in his present condition and making them pay for hurting his family like this.

Michelangelo was coping by trying to pretend that Donatello was just sick and would be back to normal soon. I knew he was hurting, seeing him kneeling on the floor staring up at the monster that had been his older brother and closest friend the previous night had been heart breaking. I had never seen Michelangelo look so lost. He remained in high spirits when we lost the home he had known our whole lives. He remained strong after our second lair was destroyed by Karai and our family was scattered through-out the city. And now he was trying to remain strong for our sake, but it was a losing battle.

Splinter would occasionally watch Donnie as the thrashed around in his prison, before lowering his head. Seeing his third eldest and most intelligent son slipping further and further into the feral mind of a savage beast, it was breaking his heart.

I was just as much to blame for Donnie's predicament as Bishop. I should have realized sooner that Donnie had been infected with the outbreak virus. We all believed it to be a cold…just a stupid cold. I should have realized it was more than that when it lasted for over the three months we spent trapped in the cretaceous period. And the weeks that followed. Colds lasted five to seven days at best, but listening to him cough and sneeze for weeks on end…at least one of us should have realized that this was no ordinary flu virus.

Leatherhead was constantly monitoring Donatello's condition, his expression at a loss as to how we were to come up with a cure for Donatello. In my pacifist brother, the mutant crocodile had truly found a kindred spirit. I could tell that for both Master Splinter and LeatherHead, losing Donnie would be a devastating blow. A loss I fear as well, particularly with the conversation Leatherhead had with me this morning.

I had been the first one of us awake that morning. That in itself wasn't unusual as normally woke earlier then my brothers did to practice my kata. Part of me hoped that Donnie's transformation had been only a nightmare and he was only suffering from a cold. But the roars coming from the lair, told me the nightmare itself was still a reality.

"Good morning, Leonardo" The mutant crocodile answered me without looking up, as I entered the common area.

"Good morning," I answered as I walked up to the containment unit and put my hand on the glass. A comforting gesture to help Donnie know that his big brother was here, and I was going to do whatever it took to save him. "How is he doing?"

"I fear his mind is slipping further and further by the moment." Leatherhead answered solemnly. "I know you and your brothers are determined to find a cure for Donatello. But I must ask, what do you intend to do if a cure cannot be found in time?"

I knew I would have to face this question sooner or later, and my mind had been reluctantly tossing the possibility that Donnie may truly be lost to us. And what may have to happen as a result.

"I will do what must be done." I answered my heart sinking as I heard myself say those words.

"You intend to be Donatello's executioner?" Leatherhead asked looking at me for the first time that morning. He wasn't surprised by my response, just curious or concerned about my resolve in that task.

"I am leader of the four of us," I stated matter-of-factly. "And so I take responsibility for any threat against my family, including taking the life of one of my own brothers should it come to that."

"If Donatello, cannot be cured." Leatherhead inquired. "I request your permission for that task to be my burden to bear. He wouldn't want your family to suffer, knowing his blood is on your hands, mercy killing or no. In my case however, I can slip away into the sewers and never be seen by any of you again."

"Why would you put yourself through that?" I asked.

"Because Donatello is my friend, and like you I want to end his torment." Leatherhead answered "And I fear, that one of you causing his demise would cause the wound his absence would leave to fester and eventually destroy your family all together."

I mulled over his words. In either circumstance our family was over. While I was the leader and naturally had to keep calm-headed so that I could make decisions that I felt would lead us to victory. Donnie was always the voice of reason; he was the one that found the logical solutions to things. When we got into arguments, Donnie mediated them. Or if they were too hazardous, he would comfort Mikey who always seemed to suffer the most whenever Raph and I got into our spats. And if any of us needed someone to get something off our shells, it was Donnie we always went to. If we failed to find a cure, our father would be inconsolable; Splinter had already lost people who were important to him. And while he had the rest of us, there will still be the void that Donatello would leave behind.

Mikey would try to be strong, for us at least. But like Master Splinter something inside him would be broken leaving our carefree youngest brother forever changed.

Raph was volatile and would have the hardest time taking Donnie's death in stride. If we failed to find a cure, one of the things flying out of his grief stricken mouth would be that 'We were unable to cure Donnie, because I didn't look hard enough.' Though if I had to be forced to kill Donatello, those words would be 'I murdered our own brother.' And Raph come hell or high water would do anything to avenge Donnie, even seriously hurt and injure his own family members if they were responsible.

I feel the hand of my father on my shoulder, his attempts at reassuring me during this time of crisis. "Do not despair my son, where there is life…there is still hope." I sighed sadly through my nose in response.

"I keep turning to Don, to ask what we're gonna do." I admit feeling very lost in this situation. "To see what brilliant cure he's come up to fix this. But then I remember…that is Don." There are so many conflicting emotions passing through my mind, despair, fear, sadness, failure, hope, worry. I remember as children, whenever Donnie had nightmares or whenever Raph teased Donatello a bit too much or the nights he had passed out with sickness due to staying up night and day without rest. I would always hold my second brother, calmly soothing him and telling him everything would be alright. I wished I could do that now, let him know I was here for him and reassuring him that everything would be alright.

Leatherhead also adds in his thoughts to my comment, but I only vaguely listen to him. The mutant crocodile is trying the best he can, but he has no progress to offer. "Donatello's progress grows worse by the minute. The outbreak strain is reacting violently with the Utrom mutagen in his blood. His cells are breaking down, it's only a matter of time before he is lost forever."

"That is not going to happen!" I declare, "We can't…let that happen." The big brother side of me is only wants to protect my younger brother from harm, while the leader in me wants to spare the life of my subordinate. As a leader it was my job to protect those who fought alongside me so that everyone came out of any and all situations alive.

"For every problem there is a solution, every question an answer." My wise father cryptically intones. "Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions." My father suggests that perhaps Bishop should be the person we ask, since he started the outbreak to start with. The very thought of placing my brother's life in the hands of that monster doesn't sit well with me. But there is nowhere else we can turn. I glance at one last time at my younger brother knowing this could be his only chance to be restored. I swore I would do whatever it took to save him…and I meant it on my honor as a big brother and a ninja. Even if it means making deals with the devil himself.

**A/N It's been a while since I watched the Good Genes arc. So this is what I thought Leo's mental observations on what's going on during that scene in the lair.**

**By the by-I'm working on a project called "A Fan's Eye-view of TMNT" This will include observations, head cannons, and analysis of the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles in any of its incarnations. So if you have any theories pertaining to the current 2012 series, reflections of on any of the incarnations, movies, comic books, TV series, episodes, analysis on any of the characters fell free to drop me a line. My email can be found on my deviant art at VenkaLeFay**


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